A common requirement of current integrated circuit manufacturing and packaging is the use of interposers to receive single or multiple integrated circuit dies. Recently, the use of three-dimensional IC (“3DIC”) packaging is increasing; and this vertically oriented approach requires stacking. Stacking of devices requires forming vertical connections between devices. The use of through vias or through substrate vias (“TSVs”) extending through the interposers is increasingly used with 3DIC assemblies. These through vias allow electrical coupling between integrated circuit dies and components mounted on one side of an interposer, and terminals such as solder balls mounted on the opposite side of the interposer. Further, the use of TSV technologies with silicon interposer substrates enable wafer level processing (“WLP”) of the interposer assemblies. This technique is increasingly applicable to increasing memory or storage device density, for example, or increasing system complexity without added circuit board area. As demand for hand held and portable devices such as smart phones and tablet computers increases, board area and board size restrictions also increases, and the use of the interposer assemblies and TSVs can help meet these requirements. Vertically stacking of components using TSV technologies in 3DIC assemblies is increasingly used in developing advanced integrated systems.
Testing or qualification of TSVs and bumps or microbumps on interposers provide additional challenges. The resistance (“R”) of a single TSV is very small and measurements are therefore difficult. Similar challenges exist with respect to the inductance (“L”) and capacitance (“C”) of the TSVs.
A continuing need thus exists for methods and apparatus to efficiently perform de-embedding of parasitics for TSVs without the problems experienced when using the known methods.
The drawings, schematics and diagrams are illustrative and not intended to be limiting, but are examples of embodiments of the invention, are simplified for explanatory purposes, and are not drawn to scale.